Is the humble filter coffee making a comeback?
Coffee enthusiasts have recently been extolling the virtues of old-fashioned, hand-brewed filter coffee. But is this an industry micro-trend, or is it the beginning of the end of expensive espresso machines?
While espresso-based drinks undeniably still reign in the UK’s booming coffee culture, it seems a quiet revolution has been brewing among coffee connoiseurs over the past couple of years. Filter coffee’s modern reputation as a boring, weak and generally inferior drink is being challenged by specialist coffee shops.
Several London coffee shops such as Caravan and Prufrock now offer filter and immersion coffee alongside their espresso-based drinks, and York Coffee Emporium promotes a range of different brewing equipment.
Meanwhile the website for the forthcoming Brew Lab, an ‘artisan coffee bar’ due to open in Edinburgh in September, says it will be ‘a new kind of coffee shop…melding traditional and innovative brewing techniques’.
Is this a sign that our excitement surrounding the novelty of steamed milk-based espresso drinks is finally dwindling?
Old methods, new innovations
At the second World Brewers Cup, held in Austria last month, enthusiasts of the craft of brewing filter coffee by hand competed to make the best coffee using filter cones, cafetiéres, 19th-century-style vacuum ‘syphons’ and sometimes obscure pourover equipment.
Meanwhile, in the world of home brewing, a new wave of hand-operated equipment has come on to the market. The Aerobie AeroPress, which we reviewed in February of this year, has developed an almost fanatical following, while Japanese brand Hario sells a range of increasingly popular ceramic drip cones and syphons for use in the home.
Has espresso coffee gone off the boil?
All of this is music to my ears (or should I say aromas to my nose?). While part of me does lust after one of the shiny De’Longhi or Gaggias in our collection of Best Buy coffee machines, another part feels that, while a delicious, machine-made espresso or cappuccino is one of life’s joys, these drinks are perhaps more suited to the café rather than the home.
The enjoyment we get from the drinks we consume isn’t only based on taste but also on context – and the noise and steam of a machine can seem a bit, well, flat without the buzz of conversation and the busy baristas.
And when a single cup of good-quality coffee is so easy and quick to produce at home with a ceramic filter cone or my trusty stove-top Bialetti moka pot, is it worth paying money for a bulky machine that can be hard to clean? We don’t need to spend hundreds of pounds in order to take part in the coffee revolution.
A coffee machines survey we carried out back in October 2010 revealed that a quarter of Which? members own an espresso machine, with seven in ten people from this group recommending them as a worthwhile investment. But are these machines losing any of their lustre in favour of old-fashioned methods? Or are all you diehard espresso fanatics out there coffee machine loyalists for life?
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wavechange
I am delighted to read this, Anna. I really cannot be bothered with all the fuss using an espresso machine.
I really must replace my simple electric filter coffee machine because the plastic is discoloured and beginning to deteriorate (hardly surprising after 20 years’ use), but there is not much on offer in the shops.
richjenn13
I am always amazed, and mildly irritated, by Which tests recommending £400 coffe machines.
That’s more than a decent washing machine!
Is the mag aiming more and more for Islington yuppies?
R
John Ward
Yes – it goes with the balsamic vinegar anxiety.
Peter Edwards
Expresso uses dark roasted beans, which are powerful but not all that tasty. just compare a filter cup from medium roast Costa Rican Beans or even better, a nice sharp Kilimanjaro area medium roast.
fossilboy
I have to disagree with you Wavechange. A watery filter coffee just doesn’t compare to an espresso. I’m not proud to own a Nestle product but at 6am I need a shot of something strong, tasty and quick, and my Nespresso is the only thing that does it for me. My motor skills don’t kick in until I’ve had my morning coffee anyway, so simply pressing a button suits me (and clearly many others).
rarrar
The cafetiere seems a very good compromise .
Quick, almost any amount at one time, easy to adjust strength, cheap , portable and a huge range of coffees to choose from.
For me the major benefit of the rise of the espresso machine in cafes is the wider availability of reasonable, consistent and strong coffee.
wavechange
I loathe the cafetiere because even using coarsely-ground beans, there is some residue at the bottom of the cup to ruin the last mouthful. A simple filter paper does an efficient job and seems to produce better tasting coffee, but that may be psychological.
rarrar
Not a fan of Turkish coffee then !!
wavechange
Like vindaloo, once was enough.
Madtina
I am quite happy to use an ordinary coffee machine, or better yet, my little espresso pot – the type where you fill water into the unscrewed bottom part, fill the filter with coffee, and then attach the top bit and let it percolate on the cooker. Ther is enough for 2 cups of quite strong Americanos and it only takes 5 minutes. Simples!
Sophie Gilbert
I think there is a place for expresso as well as for filter coffee and I would argue that one can’t really replace the other. I like an expresso mid-morning in the summer or after lunch all year round with a small glass of water, but in the morning I prefer a lighter filter coffee in a bigger quantity. In winter at the weekend I treat myself to a cappucino or a latte mid morning with a pastry. Coffee is like wine or beer or even tea, it needs to go with the time of day, the food or the occasion. Limiting oneself to one type is a shame. But yes, it has to be good in the first place. If you find your filter coffee watery or your expresso too strong, revise your type(s) of coffee, your dosage, your coffee maker(s), and enjoy experimenting.
rarrar
One thing this conversation has showed is that there are several methods of making coffee, all producing a slightly different tasting drink and all with their own advocates.
What a versatile foodstuff the coffee bean is.
Anna Norman
I agree, the revival of different brewing methods is definitely something to be celebrated, as it offers a chance to experiment with coffee, in the same way that people experiment with different cooking styles. While the rise of the espresso machine – in cafes and in the home – has fuelled the coffee culture of recent times, our obsession with cappuccinos, lattes and other espresso-based drinks has sometimes made us overlook the more subtle flavours of the coffee itself – they’re often drowned by all that milk. Espresso is great for a quick hit of intense flavour, but filter coffee helps me to appreciate the more delicate flavours of the brew.
wavechange
I agree with both of you. I would add that the aroma of coffee must be one of the most pleasant smells mankind has invented.
fossilboy
Anyone here tried Kopi Luwak (civet coffee)? Some seem to rave about it (including the producers who charge up to £100 a pack), others say it’s too bitter, smells horrific and is definitely not worth £100. Just wondered if it was a fad or worth giving a try. Not sure about the ethics of squeezing beans out of a small cat though.
Patrick Steen
I don’t think they ‘squeeze’ the beans out of the cat do they? Saw this civet coffee in Selfridges when shopping for edible insects: http://conversation.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/eating-insects-would-you-eat-edible-bugs/ The price wasn’t the most off-putting thing about it…
arabiancoffees
As an online seller of ground coffee (that is recommended for traditional methods of coffee making) I think consumers are turning away from household espresso machines. Maybe it’s the inconsistency of some machines, maybe it’s the maintenance of machines, but I think consumption is changing.
We hear more and more that consumers are looking at the different coffee options as one of choice – so when out and about they may treat themselves to an espresso etc, but when home favour the easier option of a French press etc…
Anna Norman
Thanks for your comment – it’s great to hear a retailer’s perspective too. This does suggest that, as our knowledge and sophistication surrounding coffee increases in the UK, context is becoming increasingly important. For me, espresso does seem more like a ‘social drink’, while filter and percolated coffee have more homely associations.
Mike Whitaker
I have to admit, I’m fed up of my only choice for a long black coffee being an Americano in many shops
Also? could they implement a “two adjectives or less” queue for those of us who just want, you know… coffee?
Graham
I have a fantastic Kenwood CM021 I got for £10 from a charity shop. Looked like it had been used possibly twice. It makes a great filter coffee and doesn’t stew with it’s hotplate.
Worth a look if the Espresso machine isn’t your cup of tea… Oooh sorry Coffee
Maggie
Where can I buy – in a shop – not online – a coffee cone (e.g. Mellitta) in Edinburgh – this week.
Thanks.
Paulette
We like a combined machine – expresso and filter which we have at the moment – Magimix bought at John Lewis. My husband likes filter so he can have two or three coffees through the day and I like a strong expresso – so we can have both methods of coffee production. If you want to end a dinner party with coffee the expresso machines are useless because of the delay in expressing them. I suppose there is always the cafetier.
Problem is our machine is getting older and we want a replacement but there are not many around. Could Which do a review of the Combined coffee machines please
Maggie
What is wrong with a simple drip cone – from very cheap plastic to a glass one that looks elegant. You can get recycled paper filters for them. No fuss, no ‘machines’ to clean. Make it a strong or weak as you like. And it filters out the fats that affect cholesterol (I am told).
wavechange
I believe that a filter coffee tastes better than that produced by a cafetiere, no doubt because some of the flavour components stick to the filter paper. The biggest advantage is that there is no gritty residue in the last cup.
I do prefer to use a simple filter coffee machine and I reckon that it takes less time than topping up a filter cone with hot water.